— ASHES OF HOME, STEPS INTO THE UNKNOWN
The flames of Willowmist Village still smoldered behind them, sending thin trails of smoke into the gray sky. Morning light filtered through the haze like broken shards of gold. The air smelled of ash, blood, and endings.
Lei Wei walked silently.
His hands trembled, but he hid them beneath the folds of his sleeves.
Beside him trotted the small silver pup—its molten-blue eyes dim, body weak, but spirit unbroken.
Elder Yun led them, leaning heavily on his carved wooden staff. Each step was slower than the last. His age—not visible before—now clung to him like a shadow.
They walked the dirt path away from Willowmist… away from everything Lei Wei had ever known.
After several minutes of silence, the elder spoke softly.
"Child… you saw it, didn't you? The devastation. The power you released."
Lei Wei didn't answer.
Images flashed in his mind:
The Nightbane's body shattering under a single touch…
White light swallowing the battlefield…
His parents' lifeless faces in the ruins…
His heart twisted painfully.
"…It wasn't me," Lei Wei finally said, voice barely above a whisper. "Someone… something took over."
Elder Yun nodded slowly.
"A presence within you?"
Lei Wei hesitated.
A faint echo stirred in his chest.
A familiar, ancient tone whispered from far away:
Do not reveal me lightly, boy.
Lei Wei swallowed.
"…Yes. But I don't understand."
The elder placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You aren't meant to understand yet. Power like that… it sleeps behind heavy doors. Forcing them open always comes at a price."
Lei Wei clenched his fists.
Riyam… was sleeping again.
Exhausted. Silent.
Even calling out to him yielded no response.
The pup whimpered and nuzzled Lei Wei's leg.
He gently picked it up.
"We'll get stronger," he whispered.
"For all of us."
---
The Road to Greenleaf City
The forest path opened into a long dirt road stretching between distant hills. Birds circled overhead, cautious, as if sensing the lingering aura of the battle.
Elder Yun pointed forward.
"Greenleaf City is three days' travel. It is small compared to the great capitals, but large enough to hide you from curious eyes… and dangerous people."
Lei Wei nodded.
"I'll learn to control this strength. I won't let something like this happen again."
Elder Yun's expression darkened.
"You misunderstand."
Lei Wei looked up.
"Things like what happened last night will happen again."
He stopped walking.
The pup sniffed the air nervously.
Elder Yun continued, voice grave.
"Your presence… will attract beasts, cultivators, and things far older than either. Whatever is inside you… the world will sense it."
A cold breeze swept across the empty road.
Lei Wei felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
---
Signs of Pursuit
As midday approached, they crossed a decayed wooden bridge over a shallow creek. The forest around them was unusually silent.
Too silent.
The Silverflame pup growled softly, fur bristling.
Lei Wei tensed.
"What is it?"
Elder Yun closed his eyes and spread out his spiritual sense—not far, only a few meters… his strength wasn't what it used to be.
But even that was enough.
"Someone is following us."
Lei Wei whipped around.
Nothing.
Just trees.
Just wind.
Just shadows.
But the pup kept growling at the forest.
"Not someone," Elder Yun corrected.
"A beast."
Lei Wei froze.
"A beast? Another wolf?"
"No… not wolf. Something drawn by the scent of the Nightbane's blood… and the strange power that annihilated it."
Lei Wei's heartbeat quickened.
"What do we do?"
Elder Yun held up his staff.
"If it approaches, we fight."
"But your strength—"
"I still have enough to protect us once."
Lightning cracked somewhere in the far distance—clear sky, no storm.
An omen.
A warning.
The presence in the forest crept closer…
Then stopped.
Watching.
Waiting.
Stalking.
The tension stretched until every breath hurt.
Finally, Elder Yun lowered his staff.
"It left."
Lei Wei exhaled shakily.
The pup relaxed, curling into his arms.
"Why didn't it attack?" the boy whispered.
The elder answered softly:
"Because it fears what woke inside you."
Lei Wei said nothing.
But a weight settled in his chest—not fear… not dread…
Responsibility.
---
Campfire Conversations
Night fell as they reached a quiet clearing. Elder Yun built a small fire and sat heavily, his breath ragged.
Lei Wei worriedly approached.
"Elder… you're hurt."
The old man smiled weakly.
"I spent too much spiritual force holding off the Nightbane's aura last night. My cultivation… was already near its limit."
Lei Wei gripped his knees.
"Will you be okay?"
"I will recover. Given time."
He glanced at the silver pup dozing beside Lei Wei.
"But that little one is in worse shape. Bloodline ignition is not something a suppressed beast should ever attempt. If not for you stepping in… it would have died."
Lei Wei gently stroked the pup's head.
A soft warmth pulsed beneath his palm.
"What do I do?"
"Feed it drops of your qi every day," Yun said slowly. "Your… unique qi will nourish it. Strengthen it. Perhaps even help it rediscover its true realm."
Lei Wei nodded.
The elder watched him for a long moment.
"You've lost everything," he murmured. "And still… you carry responsibility without complaint."
"I have to," Lei Wei whispered. "If I don't… who will protect us?"
The fire crackled.
The forest whispered.
The pup slept peacefully against Lei Wei's side.
And somewhere deep inside his soul…
A single heartbeat echoed from the slumbering fragment.
THUM.
Quiet.
Dormant.
Waiting.
---
The Path Ahead
Before dawn, Elder Yun awakened Lei Wei.
"Get up, child. We must reach Greenleaf before tomorrow night."
"Why?"
Elder Yun looked toward the forest.
"Because the world is already moving."
The boy frowned.
"Moving?"
"Yes." The elder's expression hardened. "A powerful Nightbane dying… a suppressed Silverflame awakening… and a child radiating divine light…"
He shook his head.
"None of these things will go unnoticed."
Lei Wei lifted the pup onto his shoulder.
"Then we go faster."
They stepped back onto the road, the first rays of sunlight spilling over the horizon.
Three travelers:
A broken elder.
A wounded primordial wolf.
And a boy carrying the sleeping spark of a god.
Behind them, the ruins of Willowmist faded from sight.
Ahead—
cities, clans, sects, beasts, enemies, and destinies waited.
Lei Wei clenched his fists.
He wasn't ready.
Not yet.
But he would be.
Because fate had already begun to howl.